Nano Prep Tip #1: Social Time

Nanowrimo is upon us!

Or at least it will be in less than a month, holy cannoli!

In light of that alarming news, for all of my friends and readers out there who have participated before or are new to the experience, I just thought I would do a couple of posts with tips on how to gear up for a month of writing dangerously! (Lol.)

So, without further ado, I bring you:

Prep Tip #1: Hang Out with your Friends and Family Now, While You Still Can

Yup, that pretty much says it all.

Yes, friends. Friends are good. Just not in November.

November, for the Nano-motivated writer, is pretty much 30 days of trying to get along with the necessary things, like work, sleeping, maybe showering, possibly eating… But with the ADDITION that you’re also trying to write over a THOUSAND words every. Day. And unlike other months of writing, when you feel compelled to take time off for good reasons, that looming deadline of 50k words in a month doesn’t hold much wiggle room.

So, for those of us who perhaps don’t have as much discipline, or can’t bust out a couple of thousand words in like half an hour, we have to make sacrifices.

And those sacrifices are usually all of our social interactions for, like, all of November.

If this is something you’ve done before, your family will probably roll their eyes and understand, begrudgingly, that this is some insane thing you have to do. As you sit at Thanksgiving dinner, buttering a roll with one hand and trying to jot down just a COUPLE HUNDRED MORE WORDS with the other, they’ll wave you off and explain to the out-of-town relatives that you’re ‘trying to write a book, or something.’

Friends, loved ones, and significant others may also get the shaft, with varying responses. Confusion and anger aren’t uncommon. Wheedling and trying to convince you that putting off the writing ‘just for one day’ will ensue. But you have to stick to your guns. Just tell them you’re busy, again, possibly siting a terribly crafted excuse, then get back to your computer WHERE YOU BELONG.

So take this time, in October, to grease the wheels of next month by trying to be as available to the people in your life as possible. When your mother invites you out grocery shopping like it’s some kind of adventure, go anyway. If there’s a house party you’re on the fence about going to, hey, there won’t be any house parties in November, so you should really attend. And when it’s a choice between playing a video game or spending “quality time” with your boyfriend or girlfriend, for God’s sake man, go run those bases. You’re going to be spending some cold, lonely nights in November, alone but for the Mountain Dew cans on your desk and the harsh keys of your keyboard to keep you company.